1. Technical Field
This document provides methods and materials related to viruses and the treatment of diseases such as cancer.
2. Background Information
Measles virus (MV) is one of the most contagious human pathogens. It is transmitted by aerosols, infecting a new host via the upper respiratory tract. It is currently thought that MV and other members of the Morbillivirus genus of Paramyxoviridae infect the upper respiratory epithelium from the luminal side before spreading in lymphatic cells. See Cherry 2004. Measles Virus. In Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. C. J. Buck, Demmler G., Kaplan S., editor: Elsevier Health Sciences. 2383-2304; Griffin, D. E. 2007. Measles virus. In Fields of Virology: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 1551-1585. It is undisputed that, eventually, MV infection spreads to many organs including the skin, respiratory and the urogenital tracts. However, no direct evidence exists for primary MV replication in respiratory epithelial cells, whereas rapid and massive spread of morbillivirus infection through lymphatic cells expressing the signal lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM, CD150) was recently documented. See von Messling et al. (2006) J. Virol. 80:6084-6092.